Ball-molding machine



Jan. 12, 1943.: w. c. HODGE- I BALL'-MOLDING MACHINE Filed June 25, 19402 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

w. c. HODGE 2,308,448-

BALL"MOLDING MACHINE Jan. 12, 1943.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1940 ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 12, 1943 BALL-MOLDING MACHINE Warren 0. Hodge, Seattle,Wash., assignor to Machinery & Supply Corp. of America, Seattle, Wash, acorporation of Washington ApplicationJune 25, 1940, Serial No. 342,261

9 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of crusher balls, and for itsgeneral objects aims to provide a ball-molding machine of more facileoperation than hitherto and one in which, by inherent advantages overprior machines, the molding function produces a crusher ball efiectiveto accomplish its crushing end more efficiently than heretofore.

Referring to such general objects in more particularity, the inventionis directed to the provision of paired and water-cooled cavitated blockscomplementing one another to produce a multiple-ball mold and especiallycharacterized in that the blocks are freely interchangeable through anengineering of the same to a bilateral symmetry.

It is a further and a particular object to provide a water-cooled moldmachine embodying novel distributional features effective to govern thecooling function more advantageously than has been heretofore possible.

It is a still further and a particular object to so design main andbranch runners, vertebrated in nature, as to free the walls of anerosive action and minimize tubulence of the metal being poured.

It is a further object still to design the runners to a form inherentlyacting as an aid to the ejection of the set metal from the mold.

The foregoing, with still further objects and.

advantages, will become apparent in the course of the following detaileddescription and claims, the invention consisting in the novelconstruction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In th drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a ball-moldin machine embodying thepresent advancements, the delivery hose of the water-circulating systembeing shown fragmentarily and dotted lines being employed to representthe swinging movement of one of the complementing mold-blocks forejecting the set metal.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation and Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken to an enlarged scale online 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig.4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section on line 65 of Fig. 5; and

dicated portions of the runners and being taken to an enlarged scale.

Having reference thereto, the numeral II indicates a bed on which aremounted a number of upright mold-blocks l2 and I3 employed in pairs, oneblock [2 of each pair being anchored to the bed through theinstrumentality of lag screws M which bear against a foot-bracket l5 andthe other and complementing block being hingedly Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10are, respectively, a fragmentary horizontal, a fragmentary horizontal, afragmentary transverse vertical, and a fragmentary transverse verticalsection on lines 1-7, 8 3,

supported from the stationary block for swinging movement about avertical axis. 56 denotes the pintle for the hinge, the pintle beingcarried by an angular butt-piece l5 produced as an integral part of thefoot-bracket, and by a co-axial buttpiece I I produced as an integralpart of an attaching plate I! which, with the foot-bracket, is securedby bolts 18 in overlying relation to the back face of the block l2.Located in corresponding positions over the back face of the block I3and similarly bolted are attaching plates 20 and 2| produced withhinge-forming butt-pieces 2t and 2|, respectively. 22 denotes a spacerpipe sleeved over the pintle between the butt-pieces I1 and 2| toseparate the hinge arms while changing blocks. Excepting for thefoot-bracket l5 which is distinguished by a flange for the engagement ofthe anchoring lag screws It, said several hinge arms, which is to say11, 2i! and 2i, are interchangeable. The boltably applied plates inaddition to their function of a hinging arm serve as covers for watermanifolds 23 and 24 and are each cast with manifold-connecting waterducts 25 which terminate in nipples 26, the nipples being coupled towater-circulating hoses The water manifolds, cast in the back faces ofthe blocks to extend horizontally for the approximate width thereof, areconnected by a plurality of cast-in paralleling vertical pipes 23, thearrangement being one in which the admission ends of selective pipes maybe either partially or completely plugged to better control theeffective removal of heat from the mold cavities, it being understoodthat this spot control is in addition to a general control of theremoval of heat through the instrumentality of regulating the water flowinto and from the manifolds.

Reverting to the hinging movement of the blocks, any suitable means maybe employed to clamp the free ends thereof in closed positions. In theillustrated embodiment I produce the blocks with vertically aperturedlugs arranged in fork-forming pairs and extending laterally from eachside edge at the substantial mid-height of 99 and Ill-l0 of Fig. 4, ea hde ai he inthe blocks to permit the same to be selectively employedaccording to which side edge of the blocks lies outermost. Received inthe fork of one of the lug pairs is a rod 3| pivotally supported by apin 32 and having its free end threaded and fitted with means such asthe indicated handwheel 33 working against a compression spring 34, thespring in turn exerting clamping pressure on a collar 35 which bearsagainst the lugs of the other block.

Considering now the mold proper, the meeting faces are conventionallycavitated to provide registering pockets and it will be seen that thesemold cavities define, on the substantial vertical center line of theclosed blocks, a parallel-sided main-runner 36 feeding laterally fromeach side through branch-runners 3! to vertically spaced ball pockets38. The branch-runners converge at a slight declination toward theirrespective ball pockets and are each sectionally of a diamond shape(Fig. 9) of which the angles formed between the meeting surfaces of eachblock are obtuse in nature, which is to say that each of the two planefaces (Fig. in a respective block lies in obtuse angular relation to theother face of that block, a form which functions to facilitate ejectionby precluding a pinching action on the poured metal. The main-runner issectionally hexagonal with the angles defined between the several planefaces of each of the complementary blocks are likewise obtuse (Fig. 7)Such mainrunner is fitted at its admission end with refractoryfunnel-shaped cup sections '19 removably held by dowels 4!, therefractory cup sections producing a delivery throat dimensionallyreduced from the span of the runner to prevent an erosive action of thehot metal being poured. To minimize turbulence, the main-runner isprolonged downwardly below the lowermost branchrunner in a chisel ti 33(Fig. 10), this chisel tip producing a rapid chill, serving the addedoffice of forming a point fulcrum to facilitate dislodgment and, withthe half-diamond shape of the branch-runner cavities, producing a shearsurface to aid ejection. While not illustrated, the several ball pockets38 are provided with air vents leading from the upper limits thereof tothe side edges of the blocks.

It is my intention, and I wish it to be so understood, in each of theseveral instances where the term ball cavities is employed in thedescription and claims to denote the mold chamber for the objectiveproduct, that such term includes mold chambers for the casting of otherproducts as well.

The several advanced features of the inven-' tion will, it is believed,be apparent from the foregoing description taken with the illustrated.

embodiment of the drawings: I intend to imply no unnecessary limitationsby reason of having specifically described my preferred form ofballmolding machine, and expect that the hereto annexed claims be givenan interpretation cominensurate with the state of the advance in theart. 4

What I claim, is:

1. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary mold-blockssupported in upright position and formed in their meeting faces with avertebrated system of bilaterally symmetrical runner and ball cavities,said runner cavities comprising a substantially perpendicular mainrunner located on the median vertical line of each block and extendingfor the approximate length thereof and laterally extending branchrunners leading from said main runners to the ball cavities, said branchrunners being formed to have the same contract in the direction oftravel of the metal being poured with the lower extreme and the upperextreme wlal of each of said contracting runners being disposed to leadupwardly and downwardly in the respective instance from the main runnerto the related cavity, the angle of said upper extreme wall beingrelatively steep.

2. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary uprightmold-blocks supported in upright position and formed in their meetingfaces with a vertebrated system of runner and ball cavities, said runnercavities comprising a substantially perpendicular main runner located onthe median vertical line of the respective block and extending for theapproximate length thereof and branch runners leading laterally fromsaid main runner to the ball cavities, said branch runners being formedto have the same contract in the direction of travel of the metal beingpoured with the lower extreme wall and the upper extreme wall of each ofsaid contracting runners being disposed to lead upwardly in the instanceof the former and downwardly in the instance of the latter wall from themain runner to the related ball cavity, the angle of declination of saidupper extreme wall being relatively steep.

3. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary mold-blocksformed in the meeting faces with registering main and branch runners ofwhich said main runners occupy a substantially perpendicular positionand the branch runners lead laterally therefrom, said main runners beingprolonged downwardly for a material distance below the lowermost branchrunner and forming, in complement, a relatively sharp wedge-shaped basaltip.

4. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary mold-blockssupported in upright position and formed in their meeting faces withregistering runner and ball cavities, said runner cavities comprising asubstantially perpendicular main runner and a plurality of branchrunners leading laterally to the ball cavities, said main runner beingprolonged downwardly for a material distance below the lowermost branchrunner and terminating in a relatively sharp wedge-shaped basal tip; andrefractory cup sections removably supported by the respective blocks atthe admission end of the main runner to collectively form a funnelcharacterized in that the delivery throat produced thereby isdimensionally of a span reduced from the transverse span of the mainrunner.

5. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary mold-blockssupported in upright positions with each block produced to substantialbilateral symmetry including, in the meeting faces of the mold-formingblocks, a vertebrated system of registering runner and ball cavities,one of said runner cavities being disposed perpendicularly andfunctioning as a main for the system; and refractory cup sectionsremovably supported by the respective blocks at ,the upper end of saidmain runner to produce a funnel, said funnel at its discharge end beingreduced from the transverse dimensions of the main runner whereby, inthe pouring of the metal through said funnel into the main runner, thedescending stream is isolated from the side walls of said runner.

6. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary water-cooledmold-blocks supported in upright positions and produced to acorresponding bilateral symmetry including water cavities extending theapproximate width of the blocks at the upper and lower ends thereof,said cavities being exposed to the back face of the respective block andhaving communication, one

with the other water cavity of each block; and

permitting selective partial or complete plugging to govern the removalof heat from the blocks.

8. A ball-molding machine according to claim 6 in which the closureplates for the water cavities are provided externally with'hose-engagingnipples communicating with the water ducts.

9. A ball-molding machine providing separable complementary mold-blockssupported in upright position and formed in their meeting faces 10 withregistering runner and ball cavities, said runner cavities comprising amain runner and a plurality of branch runners leading laterally from themain runner to the ball cavities, both the main and the branch runners,considered in 15 transverse section, being straight-sided andcharacterized in that, in each block, the meeting walls thereof lie inobtuse-angular relation.

WARREN C. HODGE.

